April 17, 2020

Dear Stoddert Families,

Thanks for all you’re doing to support your child’s Distance Learning. This morning the Mayor and the Chancellor made the following announcements about the 2019/2020 school year:

• Distance learning will continue for the remainder of the school year.
• The school year will end for students on May 29.
• On May 15 an announcement will be made about the start of the 2020/2021 school year, as well as in-person or remote summer school.

No distance learning on Friday, April 24

Friday, April 24 is a records day for teachers. On that day, they’ll be working to assign student grades for Term 3. Therefore, there will be no distance learning on that day.

iReady Math Wall of Fame is continuing during distance learning

This event is for all students in 2^nd-5^th grades, and gives students the chance to earn raffle tickets for an end-of-year iPad drawing. To earn raffle tickets, students must spend at least 101 minutes per week engaged in online iReady instruction. Students who earned raffle tickets last week are:

• 2^nd Grade: Alexander
• 3^rd Grade: Bentley, Sierra, Khanlar, Ainisha
• 4^th Grade: Lily

Expanded Learning at Home Videos on YouTube

This week, the learning at home video offerings on the DCPS YouTube channel expanded beyond just K-2 early literacy lessons. Check out the channel to explore dedicated playlists by grade level or subject matter, as well as the first installment of the DCPS Storytime series featuring books for young readers.These expanded video learning opportunities will also air on local cable. Tune in each weekday on DKN or DCTV for lessons in music, art, social studies, ELA, and more! Lessons broadcast from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (end times may vary). Families can watch on the following channels:

• Comcast: 95, 96, 99
• RCN: 10, 11, 18
• Verizon: 10, 12

Social Emotional Learning resource

Stoddert has been recognized at the district level and national level as a leader in Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Ms. Villegas has shared a great SEL resource for parents, caregivers, teachers, and families. To access the resource, go to Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources for Adults on Ms. Villegas’ padlet, where you’ll find a webinar by Dr. Marc Brackett, Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and professor of the Yale Child Study Center, titled: Strategies for Being Your Best Possible SEL’f. 

• //padlet.com/ibisvillegas21/9zbmjt1t6wy5

Purple Up! Day for Military Kids

Wednesday, April 22, 2020, is Purple Up! Day for Military Kids. Our friends at Joint Base Anacostia Bolling have asked us to recognize our military kids by posting pictures of ourselves wearing purple on that date. Pictures can be posted at : #NDWPURPLEUPDAY, #NDWMILITARYKIDS, #NDWMOMC.

Coming Soon: Virtual Spirit Week

Stoddert’s Student Council, with Mrs. Marquez as sponsor, is still active. They have planned a Virtual Spirit Week for the week of April 27-May 1. We hope all students participate! Feel free to share pictures of your child dressed up with your teacher and on social media using the hashtags:  #wolfstrong #stoddertspirit. The daily schedule for Spirit Week is:

• Monday, 4/27: Pajama Day — Let’s continue our weekend! Roll out of bed and keep those PJs on! 
• Tuesday, 4/28: Crazy Hair/Crazy Clothes Day — We are stuck at home, so go crazy! Now is your time to be as wild as you want with your hair and your clothes! 
• Wednesday, 4/29: Sports Day/Workout Day: Our favorite teams can’t play right now, so let’s support sports by wearing our favorite jerseys, t-shirts and baseball hats. Not into sports? That’s okay! We encourage your family to workout together! Take some pictures and have some fun!
• Thursday, 4/29: Superhero Day – Dress up like today’s superheroes: doctors, nurses, firemen, and all of the workers out there today helping us out! You can also dress up like Spiderman or Batman! They are superheroes too! 🙂
• Friday, 5/01: Stoddert pride! Wear your Stoddert gear or wear blue and yellow. We can’t be together in person, but we can be together in spirit! 

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

• When will Stoddert be able to provide laptops and hotspots to students? This is likely to occur within the next two weeks. The devices that we will be allowed to loan are the brand-new devices that were intended for third-grade students, as part of the district’s Electronic Learning initiative (Eli). Those devices have not yet been delivered to Stoddert. We are not allowed to loan any of our other devices, because they may contain student or staff information. 
• Will there be enough devices for every student to receive one? No. We hope to receive enough devices for those students who have been identified by their teachers as having no device available in their home. So, first-priority for receiving a device will go to those students.
• How will the devices be distributed? When we have received the devices, we will contact the parents of students who were identified by their teachers as having no device available in their home and arrange a time for those parents to come to Stoddert to receive a device.

• When will term 3 be over? Term 3 will end on Friday, April 24, which will be a records day for staff and no instruction for students. Term 4 will begin on Monday, April 27.
• How will Term 3 distance learning work be graded? During this distance learning time, when much of our instruction is being offered online, we know that students will have different levels of access to technology and workspaces for learning. Therefore, teachers will grade student work without penalizing them for assignments that they were not able to access or complete. Teachers will continue to offer many varied opportunities for students to display mastery and engagement, and any distance learning work completed and turn in will only benefit a students’ academic success. Students who are unable to complete distance learning work will not be penalized and will receive the grade they earned as of March 13, when distance learning began.
• Is tech help available? Yes! Ms. Thompson has established a tech hotline for Stoddert families. The number is (202) 480-9474, and the hotline operates between 7am and 4pm Monday-Friday.

On behalf of all Stoddert teachers and staff, I extend a huge THANK YOU for partnering with us to deliver instruction to your children.

Principal Bryant